Growing pains: The emerging role of IP in selling Canadian cannabis

Licensed producers and others looking to enter Canada’s medical or recreational cannabis industry should be thinking about how they will distinguish their business, products and services from others, in what will undoubtedly become a crowded and competitive marketplace. Intellectual property protection available under Canadian and foreign laws should be an important part of that strategy.

In Canada, licensed producers hoping to sell cannabis for recreational use should register trademarks for their company name and key sub brands. Trademarks can be registered for a wide range of...